Winds Of Change
by Naruto Fan Productions
Summary: One-Shot Collection. First: Demon!Naruto/Kagome. A demon can succumb to his bloodlust at any time, and Naruto begins to lose the fight against his own. Now Kagome must fix his seal or risk losing him to something worse than the Kyuubi...


**Disclaimer: **I do not own any character or songs mentioned in this story, everything rightfully belongs to their creators. No profits will be made from this.

**Pairing: **Demon!Naruto/Kagome

**Inspiration: **ET by Katy Perry, I listened to this song while writing this entire one-shot. O_o it really seemed to work with it.

_**Nights of White Satin**_

It was on a hot summer night that she first arrived. She had traveled hundreds of miles from a remote village, whose name escapes him. At first he was simply curious as to whom she was and decided to tail her. But just last week while following her around he was finally caught off guard-a mistake that he could not make himself regret. After all, if she hadn't found out about his little stalking habits than he would've never been able to approach her the way he had. A smirk splayed across his lips at the memory. Oh yes, it was such sweet memory. Never would he regret it.

* * *

><p><em>He slowly followed behind his target, making sure to keep far enough back to not draw attention and adjusted his steps to be in synch with her own. After weeks of playing this game of 'follow the female' he had yet to find out anything important about her other than that she hailed from a far away land and recently took up a position with the ramen shop as a waitress. He chatted with her often while playing the role of 'knuckle-headed ramen lover'. Although that guise was his favorite, to say that 'Naruto' didn't exist and only 'Kyuubi' remained would be an exaggeration. He was not the same 'Naruto' that everyone believed him to be, however after hitting his sixteenth birthday he had inadvertently partially merged with the fox demon. His humanity was lost that day, but he gained something far greater than being human could ever bestow upon him. He was given a purpose. <em>

_The fox still existed as a separate entity within his subconscious. The only thing that merged was their bodies, not their entire beings. He, 'Naruto', still existed as the dominant soul and the demon 'Kyuubi' could take control should his internal defenses weaken. But the difference is that now 'Naruto' had a stronger body, sharper senses, and a keen instinct like never before._

_When he was human his only goal was to become Hokage and force the villagers to recognize him both as an individual and as a vital force among the ranks of shinobi. Now, his purpose was slightly more complicated. Although he kept up the guise of desiring to be Hokage, he had his sights on a slightly different idea. To become the Taiyoukai of the Land of Fire. A Taiyoukai was a demon who could not only go between his bestial form and his more 'human' form, but also had a massive amount of territory to guard and claim as his own. To be one, the demon would have to dominate all other youkai in the area and force the 'constituents', if you will, to submit to him. Often times these turned into blood baths and much to his surprise, the Land of Fire was full of powerful Daiyoukai (demons who can shape between their two forms but do not own territory). Many of which turned to the ranks of Shinobi to help achieve the dream of becoming the Taiyoukai of the Land of Fire-himself being one of these demons._

_But he had one trump-card that very few demons in this area had: The support of the Taiyoukai from the Land of the Wind. After spending much time visiting Gaara in the Sand Village, he had run into the stoic demon that ran the country. He had originally challenged him to a fight over pride and although he lost the fight, he earned the Taiyoukai's respect. He was a silver haired Inu Youkai and was very proud of his heritage. His name was Sesshoumaru._

_Naruto's mind was quickly pulled from his thoughts when his target dodged into a back alley. Her hands gripped her overcoat tightly and the scent of fear spiked the air around her. He groaned in irritation, fighting off the predatory instinct to break into a sprint after the woman. The one bad thing about his new body was that the instincts could be a killer… literally._

_She darted left into another back alley, stretching her arms out and knocking down all the objects in her path. Boxes fell over and crashed onto the ground while trash bins were scattered across the concrete. It had become clear that she had sensed his presence and was trying to rid herself of him. That was something he would not allow. _

'_**Don't let her escape brat!'**_

_Naruto scowled but followed the fox demon's advice. With a single bound of his foot, he leapt over the female's head and landed directly in front of her; blocking her exit._

_"That's no way to greet a friend, ne Kag-chan?" He purred mischievously. He had chatted with her before at the ramen shop and eventually he started to call her 'Kag-chan'. Although she didn't seem too particularly fond of the nickname. Often times she would attempt to get him to use her full name, but he was a rather stubborn fox. _

_"Naruto? Are you _trying _to give me a heart attack here!" She screeched angrily, shoving her purse in his face while pointing an accusatory finger at him. Then her eyes brightened momentarily as realization dawned on her. "And how the _HELL _did you get in front of me like that!" _

_The blond kitsune wasted no time in coming up with a response, "I'm a ninja Kagome. Don't you remember about all my awesome skills?" He allowed a hurt look to enter his eyes, but by her expression he knew that she wasn't buying it. Naruto threw his hands up in the air at her pointed look. "What, I was just worried about you leaving the shop by yourself this late at night so I came by to make sure you made it home safely." He silently congratulated himself at the quick recovery. Things could get quite…. _complicated_ should she ever find out about his little secret. _

_Kagome sighed in defeat. "Sometimes I have to wonder if you're a stalker." Her eyes searched his suspiciously. So she had already caught onto his little hobby, however it seemed as if she were waiting for him to make the first mistake. _

_"Well that was mean." He teased lightly, falling into step beside her. Her scent wrapped around his senses like a blanket of ecstasy. It was the scent that drew him to her in the first place. Unlike most humans, it had a way of drawing him in and overwhelming his senses. Like someone had just overloaded him with an aphrodisiac. It puzzled him and attracted him at the same time. He wanted to know who exactly she was and why she was affecting him this way. No normal human could ever have a scent as appetizing as hers. Not even Sakura appealed to him as much as this woman did. Long before Kagome ever entered Konoha, he had entertained the thought of taking Sakura for his mate however he knew that she wouldn't be happy with him-so he let her go. Ever since that decision things had been far more peaceful between them. _

_"Oh suck it up." She growled in irritation. Naruto's brows twitched. Well that was unexpected. Never had he heard her give such a crude reply to anyone. He pressed his lips in a thin line. Something must've happened at work. That was the only thing that he could truly think of. The last time she was angry similarly to this was when some random guy continuously tried to make a pass at her and Ayame. He even went so far as to grope both girls without their permission, receiving their ire and Teuchi's anger. However it took him throwing the bastard out on his ass to settle the entire ordeal. The drunk had been banned from entering Ichiraku for life. _

_"So what's got you all up in arms?" He quipped nonchalantly. _

_"You're sensei…" She spat viciously, "Decided to have one too many drinks and informed me about something." Her face turned dark. Naruto's orbs narrowed darkly. What information could Kakashi-sensei have told Kagome to make her act in such a way?_

_"Kaka-sensei?" He played dumb._

_She took a deep inhale of breath, "First off the man downed at least five shots of sake plus several bottles of alcohol." Naruto's nose twitched. Recently he had the nasty habit of nursing the alcohol. He had the feeling that since Sasuke's return to the village, his teacher was bearing the brunt end of the other sensei's anger for not being as attentive as he should've been. But there was nothing Kakashi-sensei, or anyone else for that matter, could've done that would have prevented the Uchiha from leaving the village-even he realized that._

_"So what'd he say?" Naruto wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders. Kagome glared at the appendage for a moment then pinched his hand and moved his arm from her person. He sighed but didn't attempt again. It was worth a try. _

_"He said something about an attack on the village twenty years ago…." Naruto's body went cold. There was no way in hell he could've told her about the Kyuubi… could he? It was banned. Even Tsunade-baa-chan kept the townspeople from talking about that incident. Also Kakashi wasn't one to be a lightweight when it came down to alcohol. So he couldn't have spilled the beans in a drunken stupor….he knew what he was doing…._

_"He mentioned that the beast, the nine tailed fox spawned from the ten tailed bijuu, was sealed into the son of the Fourth Hokage by his own father…" She stopped and looked at him seriously. "I've seen a picture of the Fourth… Namikaze Minato…" Naruto stopped her. _

_"That's enough, Kagome. Let's get you home." _

_"No! There's more!" She started, grabbing onto his jacket with a vice-like grip. He stopped then looked at her. Her face was lips were set into a thin line and creases of worry formed around her eyes. He nodded at her to continue._

_"That didn't bother me. But he mentioned something else that I found to be….concerning…" She looked at him once more. He gave her yet another nod to continue-fear gripping at his heart. "He said that sooner or later the seal will force the two to merge. Human and Demon. And that something more monstrous will come of the merger. Since the person will have a demon body and instincts, but a human mind controlling it. He believed that the last bits of the human part of this person's soul will be corrupted by the demon and that, eventually, all there will be left is a new being neither demon nor human…."_

_Naruto felt himself collapse on the inside. So there it was. Even after all these years. His own teacher still didn't trust him. _

_"Naruto… I know that boy who had the fox sealed inside of him was you. But what I want to know is if the Kyuubi has attempted to take control over you?" She stared at him seriously. He shook his head. No, the fox had never seriously attempted to take over his body yet. But that may not last for too much longer. He could sense its presence getting stronger every day, and it was enveloped in malicious intent. Sooner or later, it'll try to gain full control over him and when that happened…. Naruto pushed the thoughts from his mind. _

_"Naruto!" She pleaded desperately, grasping his chin firmly and forcing him to look her in the face. _

_"No. Not yet." A look of relief passed over her features, and then determination set into her eyes._

_"You don't know much about me do you?" She questioned. He shook his head. No of course not. That was why he was out here in the first place._

_"In my homeland we had a lot of trouble with demons who lost themselves to the bloodlust…" She paused, "So my people had to develop a kekkei genkai that would seal the demons within monk and mikos to purify the bloodlust. When the demon was fully purified, they'd be released from the seal." Naruto stared at her in shock but she continued, "However there were a few demons that no matter how powerful the monk or miko was that they were sealed in, never purified. There's speculation that not enough holy ki was present in the seal to keep the demon's bloodlust in check, however if too much is poured into the seal than the monk or miko risks killing the demon they're supposed to help."_

_Naruto stared at her still, the new information still sinking in. So her homeland practiced something similar to the creation of Jinchuuriki, however demons were released after being 'purified'? This was something that he, nor any of the shinobi nations to his knowledge, had ever heard of. _

_"The mikos and monks who held these demons inside of them eventually transformed into something neither human, demon or hanyou. They lost their souls and hearts to the demons bloodlust, and the demon itself lost its entire being for its thirst for killing…." She stopped, her eyes misting over with memories long forgotten, "….They became killing machines whose insanity would only cease through death… Naruto, I don't want that for you. You're not a monk and you don't have any holy ki, so you don't have any protection from the fox if it is ever taken over by the bloodlust." _

_Naruto glanced at his hands. A monster. That was one thing he had been called when he was a child. He spent his whole life fighting against that image and only recently he believed that he had shaken it. But could that truly be all that is in store for him? To be turned into a monster that thirsted for nothing but the blood of its enemies? No, he couldn't allow that to happen._

_"So what do we do to prevent it?" He asked seriously._

_She smiled kindly, "It's a jutsu, as your village refers to it. It's somewhat dangerous, but with some help I don't think there will be any problem. Every week I want you to stop by my apartment. We'll perform a ceremony there that'll keep the demon bloodlust in check and you in charge of your body. No matter how far along you are in the merger, it won't hurt you since it'll be placed on the seal rather than your actual chakra network." Naruto returned the smile and grasped her hands in his. Curiosity settled into his mind as they made their way back towards her home. _

_"Hey Kag-chan," He started. _

_"Yes?" She responded, tightening her hold on his callused hand. _

_"Have you performed the seal before? Like what those monks and mikos did?" His blue eyes bore down on her intently. He was seriously dying to know. She seemed to know exactly what she was doing in regards to putting an end to a demon bloodlust, however he didn't know enough about her to know if she's had previous 'practice' before today._

_"Actually, yes." Her eyes went dark. "I'm one of the few mikos left from my homeland. A few years back there was a powerful demon that lost himself to the bloodlust after his human ward was murdered." Narutos' expression turned grim. That was more than he expected. "I was the only one at that time that had the power to purify him. So I approached him and with the help of many of the villagers and shinobi, we managed to seal him." She flinched at the memory and the salty scent of sadness wrapped around her like a cloak. Naruto wrapped his arm around her once more and pulled her close to him. Unlike before she accepted his embrace and relaxed in his hold. She even seemed to take comfort in it. "He had always been a very powerful and prideful youkai. So it took nearly three years to purify all the bloodlust. Eventually all of our efforts paid off. Once he returned back to his normal state, I undid the seal." A soft smile adorned her lips at the thought and the sadness slowly left her. _

_"He left the village that day and headed to the Land of the Wind. He's now their Taiyoukai and about a few months ago I received a letter from him…." Naruto froze. Wait. Sesshoumaru… _the _Sesshoumaru who was his current and only ally in the demon world had succumbed to the bloodlust? And he had a human ward?... Well _used _to have a human ward that is. "He actually was the one to convince me to come here. He said something about meeting a jinchuuriki who was merging with his demon and was in need of my assistance. So when I got here I did as much digging as I could. Also that was the reason why I got the job at the Ichiraku. Lots of ninja go into that place, and it was the perfect opportunity for me to get information." _

_Naruto stopped. This was too much. So not only had Sesshoumaru given him a headway in his fight for being a Taiyoukai, but he also sent this miko his way to help him from being consumed by the bloodlust. That sly old dog! If it weren't for his genjutsu that he cast on himself, than a toothy fang would be protruding from his lip with his grin. The next time he'd see that cunning old bastard he'd have to get him back. _

_"We'll perform the ceremony next week though." Kagome suddenly interrupted. As they reached the top of the stairway in her apartment complex she reached into her purse to pull out her keys. _

_"Why's that?" Naruto queried. She unlocked the door and held it open for him to move inside. He didn't hesitate to enter her little abode. _

_"Because I'll need Sesshoumaru to help balance out the chakras. It's a pretty intense jutsu and requires a lot of balancing. So a demon of similar power to yours would be best to help balance my holy ki with your chakra network. It's a lot like playing a game. One move and it's all over." He cringed at the thought. Well at least he'd get to see that old inu and get back at him. _

_"Thanks for walking me home Naruto, I greatly appreciated it." Kagome smiled then moved to send him off._

_"What kind of man would I be if I let you go home by yourself?" The blond joked waving his hands nonchalantly above his head. "So meet back here next week right?" _

_"That's the plan!" She responded. Naruto smirked. "Well then, it's a date." _

* * *

><p>The fox smiled at the memory of how her face turned a deep shade of red at his words. It was truly something to remember. He towered over the village atop the Hokage faces in the mountainside. He watched the citizens move along the streets through the soft lighting of the lampposts. The week had passed quite slowly for him. The days dragged on and the only thing he could do from going insane with anticipation was to continue his little 'hobby' of following Kagome around town. However now he was less aggressive about his little habit. Instead of sneaking behind her, he'd flare his chakra signal out and allow her to sense his presence. It seemed…wrong to not let her know that he was there. After their conversation last weekend, something clicked in his brain. From thinking of her in the viewpoint as possible prey, he began to see her as another person. Someone that he could enjoy spending time with. Also her scent began to affect him less and less. He was actually able to sit next to her now without having the intense sexual urges like he did before. It puzzled and worried him a bit, but he'd have to wait for Sesshoumaru to arrive before asking him about this. If anyone would know that it'd be that tricky dog.<p>

A foxy grin spread across his lips. Speaking of the mutt, he just arrived and from his scent he seemed to be quite amused. Naruto snorted, he bet that the bastard would get a kick at knowing he one-upped him. Baring all of his weight onto his back leg, Naruto kicked off the Hokage Mountain. Wind rushed fiercely through his blond locks and the ground beneath began to inch closer and closer. He spun quickly and landed softly on his feet behind a few buildings. The night covered his 'leap of faith' from prying eyes. The kitsune straightened his posture and began his search for the Taiyoukai. Much to his pleasure, it didn't take long to find the stoic demon making his way towards Kagome's apartment.

"Oi! You bastard mutt!" Naruto grunted irately at the dog. They fell into step next to each other. The silver haired inu flipped his hair back behind his shoulder.

"And what makes this Sesshoumaru a bastard, fox?" His tone was as lethal as always, however the low vibrations of an amused growl echoed between the two of them. The blond's brow twitched. That growl… he was _laughing_ at him!

"You damn well know what I'm pissed about! That was a dirty trick and you know it!" They exchanged glares.

"This Sesshoumaru does not play 'tricks' as you've called it. I merely do what I do and I make no apologies to anyone. Not even you." Had he been in his nine-tailed form, his hackles would've raised and his fur bristled at the snide comment.

"Okay, that's it. I'm challenging you again." Naruto's genjutsu dropped slightly and his once blue eyes bled a deep scarlet. Sesshoumaru glanced at him for a brief moment, possibly contemplating taking up the challenge. However neither were able to start the fight since Kagome came rushing towards them.

"Naruto! Sesshoumaru! I'm so glad you two found each other! We should probably hurry back to the apartment if we want to get the jutsu done and over with." Before either male could continue their little 'spat', she hooked her arms with theirs and lead them back to her apartment.

Once safely inside her home, they turned to face each other once more. "Before we do any of this, there's something that I want to ask." Naruto asked. His shoulders squared and his posture grew rigid. He had attempted to ask Kagome about this before, however she herself didn't know how the bloodlust worked so only Sesshoumaru could answer his question. "What can cause the bloodlust in the first place? How is it that demons are so susceptible to it?"

The dog looked at him coolly, "It can either be caused by a traumatic event in a demon's life or high amounts of stress. In your case, the merger was stressing you both physically and mentally. You're still going through the merging process as we speak, however your bloodlust is still in its primary stages. With this jutsu we'll be able to slow if not stop its progression. But if we wait any longer we risk you being taken over by the bloodlust." Kagome shifted uncomfortably at the conversation. He could tell that she didn't like to hear about what 'could' happen to him if this got out of control, but there wasn't much else to do. Besides, after today there should be much fewer problems. Right?

Sesshoumaru also sensed her discomfort and sent her into the next room for the time being. Tipping Naruto off that what he had to say next would be something incredibly important that no human should ever have to hear.

"This jutsu, or as Kagome's homeland would call it, ceremony is only good for a short amount of time. Since your still merging with your bijuu we can do this until the merger is complete but after that you'll have to take a miko as a mate to make the changes permanent." His eyes bulged from his head at this information. The blond threw his hands up in the air.

"Whoa! Whaddya mean by that? 'Take a miko as your mate' crap? First of all what miko would willingly mate with a demon and secondly," he gave the Taiyoukai a pointed glare, "Wouldn't the mark just be purified after a few weeks? So what's the point?"

The silver dog's brow twitched. Clearly he was becoming agitated. "A fox such as yourself should know the answers to those questions. You certainly cannot be as stupid as your making yourself out to be."

Naruto dropped his genjutsu completely and flashed his claws at him. "Care to run that by me again?" He _hated _to be insulted. No one, not even his own ally would get away with calling him 'stupid'. He'd taken enough shit in his childhood, he wasn't about to take anymore! Especially not from a stuck up bastard!

"Hey! I can sense that in here! I don't want you two destroying my home! Take it outside if you have to!" Kagome's voice rang out from the bedroom. Her tone was shrill and furious. Her chakra flared out, enveloping them in a cloak of anger. Naruto jumped back slightly when the chakra singed his skin just a tad bit. She must've used some of her miko ki. What a dirty trick. He straightened his posture once more not bothering to put up his genjutsu.

"Don't feed me some crap this time Sesshoumaru. Just answer the damn questions." His voice lost all hints of kindness and became a rough growl. He was being serious and he expected to be treated with the respect that he deserved.

Sesshoumaru also straightened himself up as well, "For your second question, every time that you mark a miko as your life mate you become purified. Also regardless of whether the mark upon her flesh remains, she can remain in touch with your chakra levels and how much of the bloodlust has taken over." Naruto nodded. Okay so that made a lot more sense. Then he turned his sharp gaze onto the inu's golden ones.

"What about a willing miko?"

Sesshoumaru smirked and glanced at Kagome's bedroom door. "Make your move fast fox. A few other demons have already started sniffing around her." The Taiyoukai motioned to someone outside on the street. The kitsune's ears perked and he glanced outside her window. Much to his surprise he found Sasuke standing in the alley gazing up into Kagome's apartment with an indecipherable expression on his stoic face. Naruto's lip curled back into a snarl. What was he doing down there in the first place? And how did he know about Kagome? He never dropped by the ramen shop….Wait, did Sesshoumaru just say that he was a demon too?

"….Sasuke's…. a demon?"

"Aa… a neko youkai at that…" Sesshoumaru's nose twitched in disgust. His brow twitched. So all this time. He had been bested by a _cat demon_! "He's also been consumed by his bloodlust. The only thing keeping that one sane are the large numbers of seals keeping his chakra in check…..rather pathetic really…" Naruto's body went rigid. At one time he would've attack the male for saying such a thing about the Uchiha and would've defended his 'friend's' honor to the death. Now, he really couldn't bring himself to do that. What had Sasuke done with himself since returning to the village? The man would just slip off to some unknown destination and do only kami knows what. He never tried to make amends with any of the shinobi he betrayed and was much more distant with their sensei than ever. Kakashi-sensei tried on many occasions to reconnect with his student, but each and every time he was pushed away by the solemn man. It was as if Sasuke _blamed _them for what happened. That thought caused a sharp growl to rip from Naruto's throat.

After all the hell that he went through to save Sasuke's life and bring him back to the village, he was still acting as if they owed him something. He still believed that Naruto couldn't understand his feelings for revenge even after Jiraiya's death. The fox glared down at the cat. No. He would not allow Sasuke an inch. Not with Kagome, and not with himself. As future Taiyoukai of the Land of Fire, he was determined to keep the Uchiha as far away from a position of power as possible. Including barring him from mating Kagome. The first step in achieving his dream would be proving himself dominant over Sasuke and becoming Hokage was a quick way of doing that.

"I've got one more question." Naruto said slowly. He turned his gaze back towards the miko's room to make sure she hadn't poked her head in the doorway to check on them. When satisfied that she hadn't he continued, "…About Kagome's scent…"

Sesshoumaru immediately interrupted him, "A miko's scent affects each male youkai differently. Without any problems, like bloodlust, it'll just smell like a normal scent with a small spike. Sometimes it'll arouse the male youkai, other times it'll repulse them. However while under bloodlust the effects are strengthened tenfold. I take it that the cat had caught her scent while under his bloodlust and is attempting to make his move. You should start the courting soon. If not than the cat will end up killing her while in his current state. Matings during bloodlust _always _end in death for the miko or monk." Naruto's protective instincts were immediately aroused. Death! Kagome!

"Yes. Now, let's get this 'ceremony' over with. I grow tired of being made to wait." The Taiyoukai grunted irately. He too had dropped his genjutsu making him appear human, and now his claws were twitching with anticipation.

"Oi! Kag-chan! You can come out now! We need to start!" The blond yelled out not caring if anyone else heard. The worst that the surrounding occupants would think would be that she was having sex.

She poked her head out of the doorway and stared up at the two powerful males in her room. "Are you sure you two settled your differences? Because I still sense a lot of tension from the both of you." Her bright gaze pierced them deeply. Naruto's hand twitched. The only reason she was sensing tension was because of that damn cat stalking her outside.

"Let's just get this over with already." He said much more sharply than intended. The faster he could gain control over the fox's spirit, the faster he could challenge Sasuke and remove him from the picture altogether. Protecting Kagome was his number one priority right now and Sasuke was threatening her very well being by following after her the way he was.

Kagome nodded at him sensing his anticipation. She motioned for Naruto to remove his shirt. The blond allowed a cocky smirk to grace his lips when the distinct scent of her arousal sifted through the air. Apparently she found his body to be quite pleasing to the eye. Good, that would make the courting process much easier. Sesshoumaru coughed loudly and stepped between the two of them. Obviously he did not like to be caught up between such things. Well that was too damn bad, after pushing him into the idea of mating with a miko he'd have to put up with his flirting with her.

Kagome sensed Sesshoumaru's irritation and quickly averted her eyes, a pretty blush spreading across her cheeks. Shaking her head she pressed her hands together. The embarrassment still clear in her scent. The miko motioned for him to lie on his back in front of them. Naruto did as she asked. The Taiyoukai moved next to her as she formed her hands into the horse seal.

"Ninpou: Fuu Seisei!"

Dark blue chakra surrounded her pale hands as she placed them on the seal that kept Kyuubi prisoner in his body. Sesshoumaru kneeled on the ground and allowed his youki to surround his own hands. The dog looked at him then smirked. He knew what he was doing. Without further hesitation he began to pump his youki into the seal. Starting the 'balancing' act.

Kagome's miko ki started at the inner most part of Kyuubi's seal, moving to cut off direct chakra supplies that went to the brain. Those were the chakras that the beast would use to gain control over his mind. Naruto's own chakra moved to follow hers. The chakra licked at her ki sensually and slowly began to lure it deeper into the seal. Sesshoumaru's brows twitched. It seemed that although he knew what he was doing, he was not quite keen on seeing them interact in such a way. A toothy grin spread across Naruto's lips. Payback was a bitch. The blond yelped slightly when the dog's youki burned part of his skin. Damn, he forgot that he could still do that.

"Get serious fox." The male growled at him. He sighed but ceased his antics. Kagome's miko ki once again moved towards his seal, this time Sesshoumaru's youki encasing it protectively. Blue and green melded together as Naruto began to add his own red chakra to theirs. At first he applied to much and the other two were sent reeling back out of the seal and into their hands. The second attempt it was Sesshoumaru who had applied to much forcing the other two deeper into the seal. His youki quickly followed suit. As they approached the inner-most part of the labyrinth of chakra networks within the seal, they came upon dozens of damaged chakra nerves.

"Alright, we've found the source. I'm going to apply my ki directly to it and purify the Kyuubi's chakra from the area. Sesshoumaru after I do that I want you to use your youki to block out Kyuubi's chakra from entering after we leave." The silver haired Inu nodded at her. She turned her gaze back towards him, "and finally Naruto. When our chakras start to back out of the seal, I want you to apply as much chakra as you can to help close it off. Sesshoumaru's youki will work as a backup, but the main source of defense against the bijuu will be to use your own chakra to block him out. You'll need to fight it on your own strength with this." The blond tipped his head at her in agreement.

The kitsune youkai threw his head back when her miko ki suddenly shot through the damaged nerves. It was like being shocked by a bolt of lightning! Sesshoumaru sensed his pain and quickly growled for her to lessen the amount of ki. She did and the pain slowly ebbed away. Then Sesshoumaru's youki wrapped around nerves. Kagome's ki came back again and urged his chakra forth. He took the queue and pumped as much of his own chakra into the area, sealing it off.

The three took deep and long breaths when their chakras returned to them.

"I thought you said that it wouldn't hurt?" Naruto complained. His stomach was still hurting somewhat from the overdose of holy ki. He lifted his hand and nursed the sore area; not at all surprised to find burns on the skin. Although whether that was from her or Sesshoumaru, he wasn't sure.

"Sorry about that Naruto." She blushed in embarrassment, "I felt the Kyuubi's chakra spike up in anger while we were in the seal so I tried to hurry. Although I'll admit that I got a little careless."

"Remind me to never let you do this while he's not around." Naruto groaned, jutting a finger in Sesshoumaru's direction.

"You are lucky that I stayed as long as I have seeing as to how you behaved earlier." The dog growled.

"Hey, you can't say that you didn't enjoy it!" Naruto grinned mischievously. Regardless of the pain still present in his stomach, he wouldn't pass up the opportunity to tease that old demon. Sesshoumaru's lip curled back to expose a deadly canine. He flexed his claws at him but was stopped by Kagome.

"That's enough you two. After the merger is complete than you can go back to your pissing matches. But for now I need the both of you get along." She straightened up and pinned Naruto with a sharp stare, "For the next three or four weeks, depending on how fast you're merging with your bijuu we'll be repeating this process. This technique will be fine up until the end of the merging process. After that we'll need to come up with something else to keep your body purified from the bloodlust. Even after merging, you won't have the same amount of stamina as a normal demon would. So you'll succumb to it much easier than anyone else."

Sesshoumaru and Naruto shared a knowing look. Unbeknownst to her, they had already figured out a plan. But the less she knew about it the better….at least for now. Naruto left her apartment that night feeling sore, but determined. He'd just have to suck it up for the next few weeks if he was going to get burned like he did today. However, this would provide the perfect opportunity for him to start his courting. The blond smirked. This would indeed be his best chance at getting with her if he played his cards right. His good mood was immediately ruined when he caught Sasuke's distinct scent on the wind. His eyes turned steely and he went off in the direction of the neko youkai. His first priority however was seeing to it that _all _rivals were either destroyed or submitted to his will. With that thought in mind he treaded his way carefully towards his old rival. This would prove to be interesting.

* * *

><p>The moon rose high in the night sky. The clouds moved apart as if it wished to see the fight that was about to occur between the two feuding youkai. Naruto stopped at the edge of the Nakano River. The water brushed gently against his feet. It was quite a peaceful area. Not the sort of place where demons were expected to have any kind of major battle. Yet here they were. Naruto dropped his genjutsu completely and flared his chakra aggressively at Sasuke who was lying in wait in the boughs of a nearby tree.<p>

His old 'comrade' also dropped his guise, allowing for him to see his scarlet eyes and sharp claws. Sasuke's lip curled back letting loose a long hiss. Naruto returned the favor by baring his fangs at him and flexing his claws. The hairs on the back of his neck rose. This was not going to be an easy fight but for Kagome's safety, he _had _to win. He could not afford to lose against him.

"Sasuke!" he growled inching closer towards his old rival. The male flared out his chakra and leapt down from the tree he had taken refuge in earlier. The two youkai said nothing to each other, but they both knew what this was about. He was sure the cat had caught his scent up in Kagome's apartment earlier and was not too fond of being 'usurped' by him as a possible mate for her. Well that was too damn bad. He'd rather lick Sesshoumaru's toes than allow that cat to get anywhere near close to Kagome in a sexual manner.

Naruto's eyes narrowed when Sasuke began to charge him with his claws poised to slash his throat. The blond swiftly pivoted on his heel to avoid the deadly attack. The air swished by his head with the movement and a small cut appeared on his cheek. A thin line of blood trailed down his skin to his collar bone. Naruto's eyes darkened. Now he was pissed. Catching the youkai off guard, his hand snaked out and grabbed him by the back of his neck. His grip was tight and nearly crushing on the male's soft skin.

The fox's lips curled back into a dominant snarl-an animalistic warning to bow out now or face possible death. Sasuke viciously swiped at his hand and ripped himself from his grasp. The two turned and faced each other once more. This time it was Naruto who launched his attack first. He jumped into the air and knocked his old teammate to the ground before he had a chance to react. The blond's gaze narrowed into slits. Had this been one of their normal sparrings, than he would've been able to block him. However all the seals that had been placed on him to keep his bloodlust in check were clearly affecting his fighting skills. Naruto pressed his knees harshly into the Uchiha's chest to prevent him from moving. Then his hand snaked out once more and grabbed him by his throat.

"Don't come near her again." He warned in a guttural tone. Sasuke opened his mouth once more to snarl his disagreement; however all that came out were strained growls and hisses. The rims of his eyes were beginning to redden, his hair started to grow slightly and became 'ragged' around the edged, and his claws sharpened into dagger like points. Naruto looked at this new change in his old comrade and shook his head. This was only the bloodlust talking. He was sure that if he were to be 'purified', than he'd be back to his old self and probably wouldn't even be bothering with the miko at this point. However now he had to deal with this version of Sasuke; a demon on the verge of completely losing himself to his bloodlust.

Before either could continue their fight a young woman's laughter began to echo into the area. They froze in their spots. Someone was coming. Naruto quickly jumped off of Sasuke. He raised his nose and scented the air. It was a young woman, no older than seventeen and a male with her. His nose twitched as he caught the scent of arousal coming from the two intruders. Apparently they had more on their mind other than a midnight stroll. The fox looked back at the cat. They shared a brief moment glaring at each other. He had won the fight by default, so for now he did not need to worry about Sasuke coming around Kagome. He'd probably nurse what wounds he had and then come back to re-challenge him. When that happened, he'd be waiting. Hopefully then, they would not have to worry about transforming into their bestial forms. It would make the fight all that much easier. But while in Konoha, they had to keep their power under control.

Sasuke bared his fangs at him one last time before taking off into the darkness of the forest. Naruto snorted but turned on his heel and made his way back home. Tomorrow, he would start the courting process.

* * *

><p>The warm night's breeze swept through the Ichiraku easily, bestowing its occupants with a rush of fresh air. Naruto smirked as he watched Kagome hold tightly to a bowl of steaming ramen. Her face squinted and irritation was evident on her features. It had been a few months since his merger was completed. Sesshoumaru left shortly after the last 'ceremony', as Kagome would call them, was performed. His excuse was that he "Had no reason to remain in their presence", but the real reason was that he had been getting angry with his constant flirting with Kagome in his presence. Courting was something that was supposed to be personal and kept between the two demons, or rather demon and miko in this case, only. No one else was supposed to see what they were doing. However he was a rather stubborn fox. He didn't care if the old dog was around or not. He was just going to put the moves on her, and eventually it worked. In the human world they were technically 'dating' but in the demon realm they were something much more complicated. They weren't quite 'mate-to-be' but they also weren't just 'dating' either.<p>

Often times he they would spend personal time together he would nibble on the base of her neck. In the demon world, that was as close to staking a claim as you could get without mating. Naruto's eyes followed her form as she swayed from one end of the bar to the other; passing sake and alcohol to shinobi who were eating there. He looked at his own stack of bowls and smirked. There was good ten bowls already piling up and he was ready for another. The blond raised his hand and beckoned her over towards him. Her face dropped and he grinned. So she already knew what he wanted. Sighing Kagome reluctantly gather as many of the used bowls as possible, balancing a few on each arm.

"Another miso, huh?"

"Nope, I would like pork this time."A mischievous grin spread across his face like wild fire. She shook her head at him but smiled all the same. As she turned to take the bowls into the kitchen his eyes lowered to her backside.

"Naruto!" Teuchi reprimanded. The blond grinned up at the older man. After working for him for the past few months, Teuchi had grown quite fond of Kagome. He viewed her as a second daughter especially since Ayame was very close friends with her. He would look out for her interests the same way he did with his own daughter and kept his customers from degrading or flirting with her. Naruto himself was often at the receiving end of Teuchi's ire.

The young male threw his arms up defensively, "Hey you expect me to _not _look?" Teuchi began crossed his arms over his chest, "Besides it's not like I reached out to grab or anything." Naruto laughed at Teuchi's horrified expression.

"Why I never! Naruto, when did you become such a pervert? Where's that cute little boy that would come into this shop begging for more ramen? I miss him dearly." Ayame complained from the other side of the counter. She hadn't seen what he did, but she most certainly heard his words. The rest of the men at the bar, including his teacher Kakashi, burst into laughter.

"You can blame Jiraiya-sama for that one, Ayame. After all Naruto did travel with him for quite a few years." His teacher joked. Naruto glared at him.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's make fun of the star pupil." The blond smirked at their laughter. It was true. Jiraiya always did say that he enjoyed teaching him the best. Something about his determination had always swayed that old man. His eyes darkened briefly at the memory of his old mentor.

"Alright Naruto this is your last bowl. I swear this is like sake to you." Kagome griped carrying a steaming bowl of ramen in her hands. Her appearance quickly brightened his mood once more. Just as he grabbed a pair of chopsticks to dig into his meal, a soft cough came from the entrance of the shop. He glanced over to see Sakura standing rather awkwardly. Her knees were close together and her arms were held closely to her chest-a posture he had seen on Hinata many times during one of her stuttering fits, but never on Sakura. His brows raised-immediately concerned for his old teammate.

"Kagome-chan, do you mind if I borrow Naruto from you for a while?" She smiled at her. It was soft and sad. Something that had bothered him greatly.

"Sure Sakura-chan, I'd be more than grateful if you took him off of my hands. Gives me a little bit of a break ne?" Kagome winked at her. Sakura laughed lightly then motioned for him to follow her outside. Naruto did as she requested. She continued until they were a good distance away from the ramen shop.

"Naruto, I…. I want to ask you something…" He nodded for her to continue. "I know that ever since Sasuke has come back he's been acting… strange…" He watched as her eyes darkened with sadness. It took everything he had to not growl at the mere mention of the cat's name. Even after everything that had happened between them, Sakura still greatly cared for their old teammate. She was no longer under the illusion that she was in love with them and that any romance between them would be possible. But rather she accepted that the best that they could ever be would be friends.

"It's like he prefers to hide away from everyone…even me. I know he wasn't much the type to enjoy company, but I found him the other day following Kagome-chan around…. Naruto, I know you are dating her and I wanted to warn you about him. He's been a bit too…._interested_ in her." Sakura ground out the word like it was a pile of knives that she had to eat. It was still hard for her to accept that Sasuke wanted nothing to do with her, and yet all of a sudden had an interest in a random stranger. Naruto knew that it was a slap to the face for her. After all the times she stayed out late to train and all the blood, sweat, and tears she shed for him-it was like he just refused to acknowledge her existence.

"Aa, I know about it. Thanks Sakura, but I'll deal with it when the time comes." He smiled at her. Although he technically already tried to deal with the meddlesome cat, they were interrupted and soon enough they would have their rematch. Sasuke was beginning to sniff around Kagome again and that was making him quite angry. The next time he saw him, he'd beat him so hard he won't be able to walk let alone go on missions.

"But Naruto I'm worried about Kagome's safety!" Sakura yelled flailing her arms wildly. Her eyes flashed when his arm shot out and landed on the top of her head with a soft _'thump'_.

"It'll be fine Sakura-chan. Have faith in me." He said kindly, ruffling her pink hair. She blushed at the action but said nothing. The fox was grateful for her interference but he knew what he was doing. There was no way he'd allow Sasuke near Kagome ever again, not even if his life depended on it. "Now, shall you accompany me back to the shop? Kagome was saying how she missed talking with you." He smiled holding out his arm for her. Sakura took it with a soft smile adorning her lips.

"Why not?" The two walked with their arms linked back to the ramen shop.

* * *

><p>The next night Naruto found himself in front of Kagome's apartment once more. She had said something about wanting to discuss an alternate plan to keep him from reverting back to his bloodlust now that he was fully merged with his demon; however he already knew what he was going to do. Now was the time for him to really put the moves on her and see if she would accept him as a mate. He reached up and rasped his knuckles over the chipped wood of her door. It was silent for a good few moments, then the sound of someone stumbling across the room echoed in his ears.<p>

A distinct "ow!" was heard along with the sound of wood moving across the floor. Naruto shook his head. Of course she would run into something just to get to the door. After getting to know her better, he learned that she was quite clumsy. If it was sticking up somewhere, she'd find a way to trip over it. He found it to be a rather endearing trait, especially since he had caught her in his arms quite a few times during one of her 'falls'. The blond did his best to hide his smirk when she opened up the door, but the effort was wasted.

"Oh quit laughing at me will you and hurry on in. I don't want anyone else to see me in this." A dark blush covered her cheeks as she hid behind the door.

"And what exactly are you wearing, hm?" Naruto purred mischievously. She quickly shut the door and moved to make a bee-line for her room before he could see what it was that she was wearing.

The blond gently grabbed her around her waist and pulled her to him. His eyes raked over her body and he let out a low, perverted whistle. She was wearing a white satin night-robe that covered her body but the v-neck hung low enough on her that it exposed part of her breasts. Her hair was damp and falling over her shoulders, leaving a trail of water dripping down the back of her skin. Obviously she had just gotten out of the bathe when he had interrupted her.

"Well now, if I had known you'd be wearing _this _I would've rushed over here immediately." He joked. She growled at him and swatted his hands away.

"Just let me go get dressed. I'll be back in a few."

"Can't we just stay like this?" He asked, holding her more closely to his chest. She sighed but didn't resist him. After all the time that they had spent together, he found out that Kagome was the type of woman who'd much rather wait until she _knew _that the man she was with would be around for a long time to come before getting sexually intimate with them. She once said that she would most prefer to wait until marriage to have sex with someone, but knew that it was highly unlikely if her relationship with that man was serious enough before then. But she wasn't exactly a cold fish either. She did enjoy teasing him to the extent that when he would go home, it'd take everything he could to not rush back to her home and finish what she started. However he had enough self-restraint to not do that.

Kagome leaned her head against his collar bone and pressed her face into his neck. It was something that she enjoyed doing and it made him feel much better to know that she trusted him enough to be so casual with him. His fingers went to the flimsy straps that kept the robe tied to her. Naruto felt her breath hitch on his skin and continued to mess with it.

"Ya know… we could always have just a little bit of… _fun_ every once in a while…" His other hand began to move up and down her back, wondering what the skin underneath would feel like.

"Naruto…" She moaned. His smirked widened as he sat them down on the couch with her on his lap. After settling into a comfortable position, her mouth descended upon his with such aggression that his head was forced back over the furniture's ledge. The blond allowed for her to take control of the situation, moving at the speed that she so desired. Their lips moved against each others. She pressed into him harder and he returned the force by taking one hand and grabbing the back of her head and kissing her with as much passion as he could muster.

Kagome's hands fumbled to grasp the end of his shirt. He broke the kiss to allow her to move the fabric up and off of his body. They stared at each other for a brief moment. Then his hands went to untie the straps holding her robe together. When the strings fell to her side, his gently pushed the fabric off each shoulder revealing white satin Negligee with black lacing underneath. He grinned perversely when he saw her lingerie through the fabrics.

"Not much there eh?" He teased, moving his hands up her thighs towards her panties. She blushed prettily but slammed her lips against his again. The next time they pulled back to take a breath he glanced over to her room.

"Wanna go?" Her body trembled with excitement beneath his fingers. She gazed at him in caution, but nodded her agreement after a few moments. She moved off of him briefly, after he rose from the couch he grabbed her around the waist again and they made their way to her bedroom. Kagome's arms looped around his neck as he shut the door behind them. They wasted no time removing the rest of their clothes. In a flurry of trembling hands and appendages, the fabrics landing in heaps on the floor. Naruto's eyes darkened with lust at the site of her naked flesh before him. She moved once more and began to kiss on his neck line. Feeling his desire hit its peak; he gently pushed them onto the bed and began to slowly make love to her.

They moved their bodies rhythmically for several hours until they reached their climax. Feeling his coming on, Naruto's fangs sharpened and delved them deep into the flesh of her neckline. Just as her blood touched his tongue, he felt her power enter into his body and 'shocking' all of the negative chakras from his system. It didn't hurt, but it was certainly a new experience. When they calmed slightly, Naruto moved to lay beside her. Kagome snuggled deeply into his arms and they spent the rest of the night like that. Tomorrow he would start his quest to become the Taiyoukai of the Land of Fire, but tonight he would dream of nights of white satin.

~Fin~

**Naruto Fan's Notes: **Okay, I will admit it. I fangirled myself out on this one. ^_^;;; I think the thing that I really enjoyed most about this one-shot when I wrote it, is how the relationship just evolved and changed right in front of me without even realizing it. This was basically something for me to write to break a writer's block it really did evolve into something else. Anyways I really hoped you all enjoyed. Please drop a reply to let me know what you personally thought about it. Criticism also much welcomed. :) (and yes, I DID just screw you out of a lemon xD). Besides, if I put in a graphic lemon I risk having my story deleted. -_- I don't want to lose all the work I put into this.

"**Ceremony" Info: **I didn't get to go too much in depth on the differences between the ceremonies that Kagome uses. The first "Ninpou: Fuu Seisei", is only supposed to be used with people like Jinchuuriki who are not full demons and haven't completely merged with their youkai/bijuu. Think of it as slapping a band aid on an injury that needs stitches. This technique cannot, however, be used on a hanyou. Hanyou can only subdue their bloodlust by a fang given to them from their demon parent. Because the bloodlust can then be subdued by the aura of their parent's power. The other unnamed technique that was used on Sesshoumaru is only meant for demons who had already succumbed to the bloodlust on an extreme level where they would have to be sealed into a monk or miko to be purified. Those who do not purify due to a powerful bloodlust or week monk or miko become monsters intend on destruction.

**Translation:**

Ninpou: Fuu Seisei- Ninja Art: Seal Purification.

_**Chapter Two Preview: **_

**Pairing: **Shikamaru/Kagome

**Summary: **When he sank into the depths of darkness and all that he was function off of was revenge, she was there to bring him back. Was this what Naruto was talking about? Having someone there to bring him back from the brink?

This is subject to change at any time. Please do not expect this to be final. I have a tendancy of changing my mind at the last minute ;P


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